This year I have been experimenting with letting my vegetables self-seed! Can you believe how lazy I am? I figured if I like mustards on this patch, I will like it again next year. So far I have had volunteer lettuces, radishes, mustards, cilantro, shiso, chard, even beans! In a few weeks there will be squash volunteers. See how much money I save not buying seed? Seriously, this has several advantages, since the flowers from some of these crops attract pollinators, other beneficials, and also look pretty cool. I pick them (lets say radishes) but let one of the specimens flower, seed, and even though I collect the seed that I can collect, most of it has gone on the ground, ready to sprout next year at this time and place! Other winter crops I seed directly: carrots, all brassicas, all beets and chard, lettuces (if I do not have enough sprouting on their own), artichokes I both seed directly or start in small pots. I also seed directly beans, peas, all legumes actually, and all squash. All cucumbers too. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are the only vegetables I start in small pots inside. I use the same plastic pots that come with nursery purchased plants, start them by a window, then transfer them to the front porch to harden. As far as what mixes, I use whatever I have at the time. But no peat! I have had good luck with either my regular garden soil, or potting soil, or a mix. I also sprout my tomato seeds that I saved without fermentation. I tried fermenting last year and it spoiled the seeds, I have gotten better results without fermenting, but don't tell anyone in the tomato forum or I might get kicked out of it. Oh yes, if there is a spacial brassica I would like to 'baby' like cauliflowers for example, I do start them in pots in the early fall, mostly just to keep the varieties from getting mixed up, and to be able to bring the seedlings inside if the sun gets too brutal. But I still think the self seeding method is the best! let the garden go feral!

Well my notes are not going to help with the question at hand, as I started things in my GH much earlier last year AND I started many things that many folks direct sow in the GH as well (corn, beans, etc) all of which were put out as transplants and turned out fine. I also put out a second round of things again later, which prolonged my growing season. So I guess if that's what I wanted to accomplish, then I actually COULD start many things now in the GH, which would be for a late sequence of planting (transplants) And for the stuff that should be planted now (as transplants), I guess I may have to purchase them from a nursery etc. although I'm not 100% sure what is typically put out here as seedlings vs seeds) Of course I can direct sow anything that should be direct sowed now. BUT First I suppose I need to figure out what actually needs to go out in what form (seed vs transplanted seedling).

vnginger, I'm so sorry that I didn't get your email! I don't know what's going on with gardenweb lately. No emails get through and they wiped out my trade list months ago, too. Since there are 2 of the terrariums, I could give Kathy one of them and give you the other, if that would be ok with her? Or else I'll look and see if I have something similar at the house to bring for you. I won't have internet access tonight or tomorrow, though, so I'll have to assume it will work out for the best. I know she also wanted hummingbird feeders and I'll be bringing some of those for her. I'm also going to bring some regular hummingbird feeders for the general trade - I've decided to give up on feeders for hummingbirds, as I can't seem to attract them. So I'm getting rid of not only the fancy glass ones I bought at Pike's and posted photos of, but also the regular ones with the red plastic feeder ports. I have 2 of those to bring, one of which I think is sort of nice, except that it needs a new plastic bottle (any sort of shampoo or soap bottle can work). And I found a few other things to bring, including a very large, very sturdy macrame plant hanger. This thing was made by someone probably in the 60's, it is a dark orange color with some large beads incorporated in the macrame. It looks like it can hold a very large and heavy plant, for someone who's into things from that era. Also I dug up a piece of a miniature hosta that I don't know the name of, but it's a pretty golden yellow color, and a small division of arum italicum, and found a couple of pots of creeping raspberry (groundcover). Also potted a volunteer coneflower (probably pink) and volunteer blackeyed susans, and a yellow variegated vinca. These things will all have to go into the general trade since I won't have email tonight or tomorrow. Debbie

Sungold F1 plants don't have any special requirements for growth beyond what you'd use for any other tomato. I can't really tell how big your seedlings are now, but at the 1-2 true leaf stage it's best to take them out of the seed starting mix and transfer them to a small pot/other container or many of us transfer our seedlings to individual plastic cells that are part of an insert that goes into a standard nursery size tray. If you have just a few seedlings it might be best to just transfer them to a Dixie cup, 8-12 oz, with holes punched in the bottom for drainage and let them grow in those, individually until putting them outside in your new raised bed which I assume you're going to fill with some good growing material for tomatoes and other things you might be growing. When you transfer the seedlings from the starting mix be sure you plant them deeply in the Dixie cup, or whatever, so that the stems are buried and there's just a tuft of foliage left at the top. If I've missed something please just ask me again here in this thread. About cutworms. To date, and that's about 2500 different varieties grown, I haven't found any one variety that's especially susceptible to cutworms. Lanky, spindly plants are always preferred by them but if the stems are strong they can't gnaw them down b'c a cutworm has to encircle the stem before gnawing and it can't do it if the stem is nice and thick and strong. So to prevent cutowrm damage it's best to make a physical barrier and that means placing a twig and plastic soda straw or some use nails, right next to the stem to prevent the worm from being able to encircle the stem. Using collars of any kind doen't prevent the worms from coming up from the soil inside the collar in my experience. Carolyn, who is just a bit concerned about getting those seedlings to the 6-9 inch size to transplant outside rather late, I would think for your area. Most others I know already have their plants outside in your gardening zone area. But if others in your area are at the same stage you are, well, just go with the flow. ( smile)